Egyptian rescuers found four bodies and five survivors on Tuesday in an increasingly desperate search operation in the Red Sea after a tourist boat carrying 44 people sank on Monday.

A total of 33 people have been rescued so far but seven were still missing as of Tuesday evening.

The victims’ identities have not yet been disclosed by authorities. The BBC understands two of the missing are British nationals.

The four-deck modern vessel had been carrying 31 passengers and 13 crew when it is understood to have been hit by a large wave near Marsa Alam, causing it to capsize.

The boat sent distress calls at 05:30 local time (03:30 GMT), local authorities said.

The vessel sank within five to seven minutes, according to Red Sea governor Maj-Gen Amr Hanafi. He said some people had been unable to escape from their cabins.

A total of 28 people were rescued by military personnel and a passing tourist boat in the hours after the vessel capsized.

The governor had earlier said other survivors were found in the Wadi el-Gemal area, south of Marsa Alam which is Egypt’s south.

The 44m Sea Story yacht had departed a port near Marsa Alam on Sunday for a five-day diving trip that was supposed to finish further north at the town of Hurghada.

It is believed to have been hit by rough winds overnight on Sunday – the day after Egyptian weather officials warned about 60-70 kmph winds and 13ft high waves on the Red and Mediterranean Seas.

According to the local council in Marsa Alam, the crew of the Sea Story are Egyptian while the tourists on board were from Belgium, Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the US.

Among the missing are two Polish tourists and one from Finland, according to those nations’ foreign ministries.

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said they were providing “support to a number of British nationals and their families following an incident in Egypt”.

The Chinese embassy in Egypt said two of its nationals were “in good health” after being rescued.

Marsa Alam is a popular destination for tourists on Egypt’s southern Red Sea coast. It is surrounded by diving spots, including renowned coral reefs.

The Red Sea governorate said the boat was owned by an Egyptian national, and had received a one-year validity certificate in March 2024 when it was inspected by maritime safety.

Hanafi said there were no technical faults at the time of the incident.

He also visited Marsa Alam to see the people rescued, and said they were all in good health, and no-one had needed admission to hospital. The passengers are being taken to a tourist hotel in the area, he added.

The BBC has contacted Sea Story’s Egypt-based owner and operator, Dive Pro Liveaboard.

Its website says the vessel was built in 2022. It has four decks and 18 cabins that can accommodate up to 36 passengers.

Last year, three Britons died off the coast of Marsa Alam after their dive boat caught fire.